Improved railway-car coupling



G. SHATSWELL.

Car Coupling. I

I Patented Nov. 16, 1869.

, @WQ MM ./w kw m WWW/W Sc fa tlinitml sna itiatent Gtilflint.

' Lettcrs Patent No. 96,976, dated November 16, 1869.

IMPRQVED RAILWAY-CAR COUPLING.

.The Schedule xeferrad to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same,

To all whom it "may concern Be itknown that I, GEORGE SHATSWELL, of V2111- kegan'. iuthe county of Lake, and State of Illinois,

have invented an Improved Oar-Coupling; and I do The present invention relates to an improvement in" that class of couplings which is designed to couple railroad-cars automatically; and

lts -nature consists in the novel constrnctionof a sliding and swinging catch, so arranged that the weight of the link, when it is euteriugthe bumper, will bring the catch into place, in combination with a springfor holding the catch up after it has been raised up touncouple the cars, as the whole is hereinafter fully described.

A represents that part of a bumper which is placed under the platform of a car, and which is so slotted out at T, fig. l, as to receive a catch, Z.

This catch is provided with a slot, P, fig. 2, running transversely through it, to receive a pin, K, which holds the catch to the bumper A, and allows it to have a reciprocating movement, longitudinally, with a coupling-bar, O,-in order that the end J may slide under, and move out from a rib or bar, G, cast or welded solid to the bumper A, as shown in both figurcs, this arrangement being such thatthe catch can not accidentally get out of place when the cars are moving upon the track; and if greater strength and security are required, a pin,

fig. 1, may be put through holes I X I fig. 2. I 1

This catch is also provided with a shoulder, J, fig. 2, which looks over the s 'rear-headed ends D of a coupling-bar, O, and with a vertical mortise 01' slot, N, to allow. a spring, L, fastened to bumper A, to pass into, when the catch is raised up, as shown at fig. 2, the spring resting on the corner or, which defines one end of the mortise, holds the catch in position until the weight of the bar brings itdown..

To aeconmlish this latter movement, a strong curved plate, M, is rigidly fastened to the underside of the catch Z, and its lower end, I), is so bent down as to allow a head, 1'), of bar 0 readily to pass on to the bent part M, and by its weight bring the catch down, as shown at 1.

A lug, E, projecting down from the central part of the under side of the bar 0, and striking against the end H of bumper A, prevents the head I) from going in so far as to break or disarrange said catch.

curved plate, M l), in combination with the spring L,

rope S, and coupling-bars O I) I), the latter being provided with a lug, E, as set forth.

' GEORGE SHATSWELL.

Witnesses:

J orm O. lfncK, R-ommn J. MoUL'rox. 

